President William Ruto presented Kenyan runner Sabastian Sawe with $62,000 and a car after the first man to finish a competitive marathon in under two hours landed in Nairobi.

A record, then a reception

Sabastian Sawe touched down in Nairobi to a water cannon salute after becoming the first person to run a competitive marathon in under two hours at the London Marathon, President William Ruto welcoming him at State House with a cash gift of $62,000 and a car.

Sawe had broken Kelvin Kiptum's previous world record of 2:00:35 at the London Marathon, a performance that Ruto marked with the State House reception and the gifts.

'I did not expect it'

Sawe told supporters he had not anticipated the scale of the celebrations. Supporters and family joined the welcome when he arrived home, with scenes described as jubilant.

His parents, Emily and Simion Sawe, said they celebrated the achievement at home, expressing pride at what their son had accomplished.

What the record means

Sawe's run at London broke a barrier that had long defined the outer limit of human endurance over the marathon distance. The sub-two-hour mark had stood as the sport's most discussed threshold since Eliud Kipchoge ran 1:59:40 in 2019 — a time set under controlled conditions that was not ratified as an official world record.

Sawe's London time is the first sub-two-hour marathon recorded in a competitive race, making it eligible for official world record status. Ethiopia's Tigst Assefa retained her women's crown at the same event.